


An Interlude

by LogicalParafox



Series: Raven's Flight [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:21:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27773734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LogicalParafox/pseuds/LogicalParafox
Relationships: Raven Branwen/Summer Rose/Taiyang Xiao Long
Series: Raven's Flight [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2024197
Kudos: 8





	An Interlude

Living with Tai dulled her edge.

Raven knew this. She told herself it had been a factor in her departure, and it had been, but she had refused to acknowledge that what she was was afraid.

It was harder to lie to herself this late in the game. Yang had torn the lies to ribbons, burned through them in a blast of light more deadly than any maiden power Raven could bring to bear.

Tai had done his best to patch her up. Patch. Ugh if she didn’t love him so much she would kill him for infecting her with his puns, accursed man.

Tai hadn’t asked to go after the girls. She’d told him what she and Yang had done, about that brief interaction and that annihilation that had sent her back to Summer, to him. Tai had embraced her, stroking her hair, kissing away her tears. She’d managed to tell him why she’d left, the full story of what Salem had said. Even after recalling the worst moment in her life she had slept peacefully in his arms, without alcohol involved. Not that she was going sober. Qrow’s stashes hadn’t moved and Tai still couldn’t find him. Sometimes she couldn’t believe she loved a man who couldn’t find the alcohol hidden in the headboard of his own bed.

It was fun to watch him gape at her like a fish when she suddenly had bottles of alcohol out of apparently thin air. He kept grumbling that none of the legends had mentioned the maidens being able to summon alcohol out of the air.

Still, all this soft living of warm meals cooked especially for her and warm beds with warmer bedmates. Soaking in a bathtub with loving hands washing her hair and rubbing all the soreness out of her body. He claimed he’d learned some physical therapy techniques over the years. Raven had grown very greedy of his hands on her, bringing her pleasure she’d all but forgotten, that touch could be kind and caring and so very warm.

If she hadn’t gotten so soft, so unsharp, she would have recognized the growing unease sooner.

Yang in distress. Yang in increasing danger. Yang worried and battered and fearful. Qrow even pinging on her radar as not in a happy situation, although it barely registered as being more than the usual distress coming down that bond. Her twin had a way of getting into trouble and staying there on purpose, whether it was conscious or not.

Yang though… Her daughter could be a bundle of nerves and self-doubt, familiar feelings of anxiety hummed down her other bonds as well on a regular basis, but Yang was clearly in trouble, in some battle situation… but if she went to Yang and left Tai… he would forgive her. He had forgiven far worse, but did she want to be without him? Could she give up peaceful sleep?

Could she give up having an exit?

Her bonds were down to three and if Tai came with her… there would be no exit strategy, no escape beyond her wings, and Salem was wise to those now.

To drive her lack of edge home, she caught his hand and pulled him to the table, sitting Tai down and making tea for them both before sitting across from him.

Tai watched her curiously, accepting the tea without comment, his head tipped slightly to one side. “Thanks?”

“Yang’s in danger,” she said. No reason to sugar coat things.

Tai paled, lurching to his feet, almost dropping his cup of tea. “What are we waiting for?”

Raven shook her head. “No, it doesn’t feel imminently fatal and she isn’t… she isn’t like Summer, she hasn’t hardened herself against dangerous scenarios to the point that I can’t get indicators.”

Tai swayed slightly and sank into his chair, burying his face in his hands. “How can you be sure?” he asked, voice muffled by his fingers.

“They’re my semblance, you have to trust me.”

Tai nodded, taking several deep slow breaths in a way she recognized now as some sort of calming or meditative exercise as he took control of himself. “What are we going to do?”

Raven sighed. “I want to check on her.”

“Ok, I can be packed and ready in ten minutes.”

“No.”

“No?”

“You need to stay here.”

“Raven, but-”

“I need you here. Yang and Qrow need you here.”

Tai looked stricken, his shoulders pulling in as he wrapped his arms around himself. “I’m not useful in battle,” he said softly.

Raven rolled her eyes and kicked him sharply under the table. “Stop that. I need you here so I have an exit. So if the situation gets too hot I can get her and Qrow out, quickly. We’re not even sure if they’ve made it to Atlas yet or if they’re together.”

Tai winced at the kick, wrinkling his nose, but the despair and resignation had left his face. Good.

“Supposing they’ve made it to Atlas by now, if they’re still in the same place and you come through with me, we’ve got no way out. What if it’s a war zone?”

Tai nodded, trying not to pout.

Raven kicked him again, rolling her eyes. “You’re a father of two and a grown man, stop acting like a puppy being told he can’t have dinner for another five minutes.”

Tai grinned at that. “But what if I’m hungry now?”

He dodged this time when she tried to kick him for being annoying, his hand darting down to seize her ankle.

Seated as she was, it was the work of a moment to kick his knee with her other foot and twist her leg away from his grip with the leverage, slamming her foot downward to break his hold.

Tai chuckled but let it go, picking up his still-steaming tea. “Ok, I see the logic…. but if they are together, can I trade places with Qrow at some point please? I didn’t even get a proper goodbye with Ruby,” he said wistfully.

“Probably,” Raven said quellingly, picking up her own tea. “No guarantees. Even as rusty as you are you remember what missions are like, even self-imposed missions.”

Tai rolled his eyes at her and finished off his tea. “Well then I guess I’ll pack for you. And Ruby. I can’t imagine she and Yang don’t need ammo by now and I’ve got a good supply of both of their cartridges laid in.”

“…How many hundred do you have for each of their weapons?”

“…only three.”

“Three hundred?”

“They’re my daughters, Raven…”

“We’re not done talking about this, you hoarder, but for now, I need to pack."

"You're sure I can't come?" 

"Not unless you want all of us to be stranded possibly in the middle of a battlefield with a bunch of unlicensed hunters facing brothers know what."

Tai sighed. "Understood." 

"Stop pouting, your time will come soon. I'm getting you out of your garden one of these days if I have to kidnap you. I'm just taking no chances with Yang or Qrow's safety."

He smiled at her then, offering her his hand. It took long moments, but she realized what he wanted and tucked her hand into his. His fingers were so warm. "You need to be safe too. I'll stay." 

"Thank you."

Raven was definitely losing her edge. 


End file.
